


TLC

by adjit



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Cuddling & Snuggling, Domestic Fluff, Established Relationship, F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-16
Updated: 2015-12-16
Packaged: 2018-05-07 03:01:38
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,231
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5441030
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/adjit/pseuds/adjit
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Adrien had a long day at work, but Marinette is the perfect remedy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	TLC

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Ozxiii](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ozxiii/gifts).



> I just really needed some cuddles in my life, and Oz encouraged me, so have a fic I wrote at 2:30 in the morning.

Adrien offered one last smile to the photographer as he finally escaped the building. The moment he was out of sight the happiness fell from his face and a deep exhaustion replaced it, covering his entire body like a thick curtain; his shoulder hunched slightly, his head tipped down, and his steps became slower and more lethargic. He only made the journey home by reminding himself of what awaited him. Not the expansive, shining, pristine halls of his childhood house, but the tiny, cramped, messy rooms of the apartment that he and Marinette had claimed as their own. He let out a small sigh of longing as he pictured the space. For all its quirks and difficulties, it was _home_. And Adrien couldn’t wait to get there.

He quickened his pace, for once regretting the loss of his driver, but soon enough he was up the too-narrow stairs to their apartment, and all other thoughts were thrown out the window. He opened the door, feeling some of the weight of exhaustion leaving him at the sight before him. Marinette was sitting at her desk in the far corner of the room, chewing on the end of a pencil and staring down at her sketchbook with a tiny furrow in her brow. She didn’t stir as Adrien carefully hung his coat up and kicked off his shoes, deep in concentration, and his mischievous side couldn’t help but take advantage of her distraction. He carefully approached her from behind, keeping himself as quiet as possible, and then at the last moment he let out a loud, over-dramatic groan, draping himself over her shoulder. She jumped and tried to turn around, but her head didn’t make it very far before she was knocking noses with Adrien, who was laying his head upside down on her chest with a pout placed carefully on his face.

“Mari, you’ll never _believe_ the day I had today,” he began, even as she was laughing and trying to shake him off. He huffed and stood up, allowing her to fully turn around.

“That bad?” she asked, tone light. But the moment her eyes landed on him, took in his slightly hunched shoulders and the tension that still wasn’t gone from his face, she was standing up, pushing her sketch pad and pencil to the side.

Adrien laughed lightly, trying to wave it off as he saw Marinette’s concern. “Just long,” he defended, wanting to stop the worried look she was giving him, but it was too late. She was already steering him to the small couch they had, pushing him down onto the cushy surface. “I’m fine, Mari. Better than fine now that I’m home.” His voice dropped down a bit, the confession coming out soft and gentle even as Marinette moved around the back of the couch.

Marinette leaned over, whispering in Adrien’s ear, “I think my kitty deserves some TLC.” She straightened and placed her hands on his shoulders, carefully pressing at the spots that held the most tension.

“Ah, you spoil me,” he teased, closing his eyes and letting her gentle kneading relax him.

“No, you totally owe me for this later,” she replied, not missing a beat. “I expect repayment in full by the end of next week.”

Adrien cracked open one eye, leaning his head back to get a look at Marinette’s face. She was looking down at him, grin teasing and eyes loving, and he was overcome with a surge of affection for the girl in front of him.

“Next week? How about now?” he asked, and before he had even finished his sentence he was twisting around and grabbing Marinette, tugging her face first over the back of the sofa. She let out an undignified squeak as she tumbled over it, and for a few moments the two of them were a mess of limbs and squirming and Marinette’s halfhearted reprimands and Adrien’s laughter.

Marinette gave up on trying to right herself completely, settling for curling up, head in Adrien’s lap. She rolled over and looked up at him, frown set in place though her eyes betrayed her good mood. “That was rude. And I was _helping_ you.”

Adrien only smirked, running a hand absentmindedly through Marinette’s hair. She had been letting it down more often lately, and he loved it. “You said I had to pay you back.”

“That was not what I had in mind, you silly kitty,” Marinette reprimanded, leaning into his touch.

“You seem pretty happy as you are,” replied Adrien, looking down at Marinette curled contentedly against him. But his reply seemed to spark something in her, because she sat up with a determined look in her eyes.

“Fine then,” she replied stubbornly, maneuvering herself and Adrien with purpose. He complied easily, letting her choose how to position his body for him. Soon she was reclined against sofa with Adrien in her arms, his head on her chest, her hands already threading through his hair. “Much better,” she crooned with a triumphant tone, as if she had just won something. But Adrien hardly felt like he lost.

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her to him, burying his face into the crook of her neck, and she laughed and held him tight. He stayed there for several moments, just breathing, and then slowly relaxed as she began humming and dragging her nails lightly against his scalp. He nuzzled her, muttering declarations of love and comfort as she lavished her attention on him, petting and scratching from the top of his head down to his shoulders. She applied more pressure once she reached them, continuing the massage from earlier. Her hands were firm yet gentle, and if Adrien weren’t letting himself fall into a happy haze in her arms, he might have noted how very _her_ that was. Firm and steady but gentle and kind and loving.

Her hands eventually stopped, the angle and position making it harder to continue than before, and instead she wrapped her arms around him and squeezed, just a little. He squeezed back, nuzzling her again, and she laughed quietly, tangling their legs together just to get a little closer, a little more intimate. Her hands never really came to rest, continuing drawing small circles on his back even as he closed his eyes and laid his head on her chest, looking for all the world like he never meant to move again. Marinette accepted it with a small smile, knowing that Adrien had years of touch-starved loneliness to make up for. But she had the rest of their lives to make up that deficit, she reflected as she pressed a small kiss to the top of his head. He squeezed her again, and she settled in his embrace.

“I really love you Marinette,” he muttered, and Marinette was unsure that she was even meant to hear it.

“Shh, cuddle time,” she admonished quietly, earning her a rueful grin from her boyfriend. “But I love you, too, you know. More than a ladybug has ever loved a cat.”

Adrien sighed then, a content sigh that said more than his words ever could. Marinette gazed down at him, a small smile on her face. Moments like this made her wish she could freeze time. But she never would, because she saw so many more like them in the future. She couldn’t wait.

**Author's Note:**

> Cross posted on my tumblr! http://polkadottedluckycharm.tumblr.com/post/135329548189/tlc


End file.
